Feb. 11, 2009

Box Score |  Photo Gallery 

Bronx, N.Y. - They sat next to each other on the bench, both in dress clothes, unable to help their young teammates due to injury. Senior Chris Bethel, this year's leading rebounder, and junior Brenton Butler, the leading returning scorer from 2007-08, were relegated to encouraging the Rams with words instead of actions. But in the end, their words couldn't make up for the combined 21.3 ppg and 9.7 rpg that the two averaged (Bethel from this year, Butler from last) as Fordham fell to Massachusetts, 91-68, in an Atlantic 10 game in the Rose Hill Gym.

With the loss, the Rams fall to 3-18 overall, 1-8 in the Atlantic 10, while Massachusetts improves to 9-13 overall, 4-5 in the conference.

"Give UMass credit, they shot the ball lights out tonight," said Fordham head coach Dereck Whittenburg. "But I was encouraged with the play of Mike Moore and Herbie Tanner. They showed some guts and continued to fight until the end. But the bottom line is that we didn't make shots and with a young team that affects your confidence."

The Rams fell despite solid games from Moore, Tanner and Jio Fontan, who all scored in double figures. Moore tied his career-high with 21 points while Tanner netted a career-high ten points and Fontan added 19.

The Minutemen entered the game second in the Atlantic 10, making almost 8.4 three-pointers per game, and they raised that number tonight, hitting 12 long distance shots in the game, eight of those in the first half as Massachusetts built a commanding 57-28 lead at the break.

Massachusetts scored the first nine points of the game over the first 2:33, seven of those from Tony Gaffney. A Moore three-pointer cut the Fordham deficit to six, 9-3, 39 seconds later but the Minutemen quickly got the lead to 12, 19-7, with a 10-4 spurt, capped by a Anthony Gurley three-pointer with 13:25 remaining.

A pair of Tanner free throws and a Fontan layup over the next two minutes trimmed the Fordham shortfall to seven, 19-12, but Massachusetts responded with a 14-1 run, led by seven points from Ricky Harris and six from Luke Bonner, to take a commanding 34-13 lead with 8:46 left in the half.

The Minutemen took a 29-point lead into the break, 57-28, and increased it to 35 by opening the second half with a 10-4 spurt. The closest the Rams would get from that point would be 23, which they did twice, the first time at 87-64 on a Moore jumper with 1:51 remaining and the final time at 91-68 on a Moore layup at the final buzzer.

Moore added nine rebounds, tying his career-high, to go with his 21 points while Tanner dished out a career-high five assists. Fontan shot 7-for-15 from the field for his 19 points while Jacob Green also finished in double figures with 10 points.

The Rams will next be in action on Saturday afternoon, February 14th, as they travel to Cincinnati, Ohio, to face 14th-ranked Xavier University in an Atlantic 10 game at 4:00 p.m.

Notes
The Minutemen now lead the all-time series, 23-11, and have won three of the past four meetings...Moore matched his career-high of 21 points which he first did against Princeton earlier this year (11/26/08)...He tied his career-high in rebounding which he originally set in the first St. Bonaventure game this year (1/7/09)...Tanner's previous career-high was eight, set against Richmond in 2007...He broke his previous career-high of four assists which he accomplished last weekend at George Washington...Fontan has now scored in double figures in ten straight games and 14 of the last 15...He is averaging 17.8 ppg over the past ten contests...Freshman guard Trey Blue moved into the starting lineup for the first time since the Manhattan game...Fordham turned the ball over nine times while forcing 11 UMass turnovers...It was the 16th time this year that the Rams have had fewer turnovers than their opponent.